Dolly and Bear Day Nursery

Inspection of Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Southend Carnarvon Medical Centre, 7 Carnarvon Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS2 6LR

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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The provision is good

Children settle quickly on arrival and are happy to say goodbye to their parents at the front door. They go into their rooms with staff to find their friends and see what activities are available. Babies enjoy lots of opportunities to explore their surroundings, including using their hands to experience different textures and lots of messy play. This helps them to develop important basic skills, such as hand-to- eye coordination to support the next stage in their learning. Children behave well. Pre-school children sit quietly during group activities, waiting patiently for their turn. They listen to their friend's choice of song and join in with the words and actions enthusiastically.

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The provision is good

Toddlers enjoy playing with a range of natural objects, including coloured, dried rice and fresh vegetables. Staff provide further resources, such as wooden animals along with a story book, to encourage children to use their developing imaginative skills. Children pretend to feed the animals with the food, mimicking staff's actions as they play. Children thrive in the nursery, making good progress in their learning. Staff have high expectations for what children can achieve and are full of praise when children successfully master a new skill.

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The provision is good

Children have lots of opportunities to play outside. The manager and staff have made the most out of the space available to encourage children to develop a range of skills, including balancing, measuring and using different materials such as sand and plastic dinosaurs imaginatively.

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need to do better?

n The current manager has worked extremely hard to meet the legal requirements and improve the educational opportunities for children. A new staff team is in place and share the manager's enthusiasm for providing children with a fun, stimulating environment. This helps children to develop the necessary skills to be ready for the next stage in their learning, and school when the time comes. n Staff find out what children know and can do when they start. They take time to observe and assess children's learning constantly, which helps them to implement educational programmes that are suitably challenging for children. Staff encourage and support children to extend and consolidate their knowledge before moving them on to the next steps in their learning. n Staff note down children's interests as they develop. However, they do not make the most of children's current interests to capture their fascination and

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need to do better?

excitement and use it to encourage their learning and development further at that time. n Children are encouraged from an early age to develop confidence in their own skills. For example, babies enjoy learning to feed themselves and toddlers learn

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need to do better?

18 May 2021 to carefully take their plates and cutlery from the table to the bowls before sitting back down. n Staff have found a range of ways to communicate with parents during the Covid- 19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Regular emails, social media and an online system helps staff to keep in touch with parents. Staff record children's achievements, learning and any messages about their key children daily. Parents log into the system at a convenient time. This helps parents and staff to work together, particularly as parents are unable to come into the nursery at present. n Staff work well with other professionals to help support children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who receive funding. Resources to help support children's learning are carefully chosen to develop their existing skills and challenge them further. Regular monitoring of children's achievements helps staff to identify quickly children who need additional support

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need to do better?

to close any emerging gaps in their learning. Staff help children catch up, working closely with other professionals, such as speech and language specialists to provide targeted support. n The manager spends time with each of her team providing support, guidance and a wide range of training opportunities. Regular supervision meetings help staff to identify any weaknesses in their practice or areas they wish to develop further. 'Wellness Wednesday's' provide light relief for staff as the manager focuses on staff's well-being and mental health. n Children are, generally, really confident and express their thoughts and ideas freely with staff and their friends. Sometimes, though, staff overlook the less confident children, as those who are louder and more confident lead the discussions and activities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff undertake regular training to help update their knowledge, including possible signs that children are at risk of harm or abuse. They know who to turn to for advice, and how to whistle blow should they be concerned about another member of staff's practice. Staff are aware of the dangers posed to children and their siblings through radicalisation and possible involvement in drug running across county lines. They are clear which safeguarding authorities to contact and what to do should they think their concerns are not being acted upon.

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should:

n consider ways to help children who are less confident to take part in activities and discussions n make greater use of children's emerging interests to develop their learning

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Setting details

Unique reference number 2525564 Local authority Southend-on-Sea Inspection number 10145148 Type of provision Childcare on non-domestic premises

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Registers

Early Years Register, Compulsory Childcare Register, Voluntary Childcare Register Day care type Full day care

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inspection

Total number of places 62 Number of children on roll 58 Name of registered person Dolly And Bear Ltd

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reference number

Telephone number 07825873479 Date of previous inspection 27 January 2020

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Information about this early years setting

Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery Southend registered in 2019. The nursery employs nine members of childcare staff. Of these, all hold appropriate early years qualifications at level 3. The nursery opens from Monday to Friday, all year round. Opening times are from 7.30am until 6.30pm. The nursery provides funded early education for two-, three- and four-year-old children.

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Inspection activities

n This was the first routine inspection the provider received since the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the provider. n The manager and the inspector completed a learning walk around the nursery and discussed how the educational programme is implemented and monitored to help children make good progress. n The inspector spoke to available parents, the staff, children and the manager. n The inspector observed children and staff interacting with each other and completed a joint observation with the manager. n The manager shared a range of documents with the inspector, including evidence of staff qualifications and their suitability to be working with children.

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Inspection activities

We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

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Inspection activities

18 May 2021 regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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Inspection activities

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